What do black sesame, Indian cuisine and Mexican bakeries have in common? A significant rise in searches on Yelp this year versus 12 months prior.
Yelp recently released its 2026 Trend Forecast, highlighting the eight foods Yelp expects to be trending next year based on an increase in searches from September 2024 through August 2025. When compared to the previous year, Yelp’s analysts observed an increase in interest for flavors such as black sesame and matcha, as well as global cuisine types such as Indian food and Swedish sweets.
Black sesame
A staple in Asian desserts, this earthy, nutty and slightly bitter seed is gaining popularity, particularly in a cafe setting. Searches for “black sesame matcha” are up 147% and “black sesame coffee” and “black sesame lattes” are both up 23%. “Black sesame desserts” also saw a spike at 21%.
Buffets
Buffets are gaining traction again after the pandemic forced many into closure. Notably, buffets associated with Asian food are trending on Yelp: “All you can eat Korean BBQ and hot pot” is up 591%, “all you can eat buffet near me” is up 252%, “AYCE dim sum” is up 244% and “sushi bars all you can eat” is up 93%.
Indian cuisine
Continuing with the buffet theme, searches for “Indian food buffet near me” have jumped 459%. But beyond the buffet-style dining, searches for “Indian tiffin service” are up 153%, “Indian bowls” are up 135% and “biryani chicken” are up 49%.
Matcha
The most significant increase out of all Yelp searches mentioned in the Trend Forecast is that for “banana pudding matcha latte,” up a whopping 36,900%. “Banana matcha” also saw a significant hike in interest at 4,500%. Other matcha-related searches include “matchatini” at 1,036%, “guava matcha” at 508%, “cloud matcha” at 429%, “ceremonial matcha” at 210%, “ube matcha” at 205% and horchata matcha at 111%.
Mexican bakeries
Interest in conchas, tres leches and other Mexican pastries appear to be on the rise, with the search “panaderia Mexican” up 1,184%, “Mexican conchas” up 235% and “best tres leches” up 170%.
Sarti spritz
The only alcoholic beverage mentioned in the Trend Forecast is the Sarti Spritz, a vibrant pink Italian cocktail made with Sarti Rosa, a fruity liqueur with Sicilian blood orange, mango and passion fruit. Top with prosecco and soda water and garnish with a lime or orange for a sweeter, tropical spritz. Searches on Yelp for the beverage were up 8,500%.
Sourdough
If you thought people’s obsession with sourdough was restricted to the pandemic, you’d be wrong. Yelp saw an increase in searches for sourdough-related items, including 646% increase in “sourdough cinnamon rolls,” 511% increase in “sourdough pizza near me,” a 217% increase in “homemade sourdough bread,” a 124% increase in “sourdough croissant,” a 92% increase in “sourdough classes” and 64% increase in “sourdough bagels.”
Swedish sweets
This past year, TikTok was supersaturated with creators taste-testing Swedish candy, and Yelp found a 476% increase in searches for “Swedish candy near me” and a 610% increase for “BUBS Swedish candy.” In addition to candy, the search for “best Swedish princess cake” (a type of dome-shaped layer cake) is up 233%.
